“For the uninsured and the underinsured, the costs of medical treatment don’t stop with a doctor’s visit and the diagnosis. The next stop, if the funds are available, is the pharmacy, where the cost of treatment can be prohibitive.

Heartland Health Care Clinic has a program to help bring the prescriptions closer to an affordable range for many people. At the same time, people who do have prescription coverage can benefit others in the community simply by having the card.

‘It’s a government program intended to help with pharmaceutical costs’, said Kimberly Smith, director of clinic operations at Heartland Health Care Clinic. ‘A lot of medications are expensive for people, so anything that we can do to make it more affordable to increase access for folks, in my book, is a good thing’.

All four pharmacies in Abilene participate in the program. Patients who have an initial qualifying visit with a Heartland provider can get a card in about two minutes.”